Alastair Cook’s top 5 innings in Test cricket 

Ever since the Ashes earlier this year, questions have been raised around Alastair Cook’s longevity in Test cricket. At 33, the greatest ever England batsman will retire as he bids adieu to the game after playing the final Test of the ongoing series at Oval against India. It would mark an end to an era in England cricket as their highest run-getter draws curtains over his illustrious career that began against India at Nagpur in 2006.

His century on debut was a glimpse of what to expect from the southpaw in the years to come. With over 12,000 Test runs at an average of 44.89 in 160 Test matches, Cook has achieved everything that he could do as a batsman in an England T-shirt.

Earlier this May, Cook breached an astonishing landmark to add another feather to his cap as he went past Allan Border’s record 153 consecutive appearances in Test cricket.

As he bids adieu to the game, we take a look at some of his top knocks notched during the course of his career:

#1 118 vs Sri Lanka at Galle, 2007

It was still early days for Cook in International cricket as he was finding his feet in a team which featured some of the greats of England cricket. After being 1-0 down in the 3-match series, England expected a turnaround from their batters on a pitch that had lots for the spinners to exploit. After a dismal run in the 1st innings, the visitors were following on in the 3rd innings.

Cook showed some great resilience with the bat as he carried the entire batting on his shoulders. After a decent partnership at the top, England crumbled but Cook held the other end. He scored 118 runs off 285 balls to play out the entire day as the visitors played 95 over in their last innings to draw the match. However, they lost the series but it was a great show by the batters and especially Cook in the final Test match.

#2 235* vs Australia at Brisbane, 2010

It was a breakthrough year for the England team as they went on to win an away Ashes series 3-1 in 2010-11. The team performed like invincibles as they were nearly unbeaten both home and away. It was mainly banking on the performance by their batters which was beautifully backed up by the seamers.

Cook had a dream run as he went onto top score in the series with 767 runs at a staggering average of 127. In the first Test at Brisbane, England fell cheaply in the first innings but their top order relished every opportunity to score runs in the 2nd innings. Cook smashed a remarkable 235* to rule out any possibility of losing the Test match. Though the game ended in a draw it was a knock which was widely appreciated across the world.

#3 189 vs Australia at Sydney, 2010-11

In the same series, the English opener went all guns blazing to guide his side to a remarkable Test and series win after a very long time on Australian soil. Since then, no other visiting side has won an Ashes series. He continued his dominance with a stupendous 189 to steer his side to a huge first innings total.

Australia could never recover from the lead as they went onto lose the game and the series 3-1 in the New Year’s Test match. Cook had a partnership with Ian Bell lower down the order as he steadied the ship when the hosts were in all sorts of trouble. England saw this series win as one among their golden period in Test cricket with Alastair Cook being their flag-bearer in the entire series.

#4 294 vs India at Edgbaston, 2011

After failing in the first two Test matches of the series, Cook hit his form in the most beneficial way for his team. After winning the toss, England elected to field as the visitors were bundled out for a paltry 224 in their first innings. In their first innings, England posted a mammoth total of 710 runs, riding mainly on the back of Cook’s astonishing show with the bat.

He took the fight out of the Indian bowlers to post his highest Test individual score of 294 runs off 545 deliveries. Indians were down and out as England registered an unassailable lead of 3-0 in the 4-match Test series. Eventually, they whitewashed the visitors in the final Test but Cook’s monumental effort was the talk of the series.

#5 176 vs India at Ahmedabad, 2012

It was an innings which displayed his experience and resilience, not only as a batsman but also as the captain of the team. After a dismal run in the first innings, where England bowed out for a paltry 191, they showed some intent in the 2nd innings.

Following on in the 3rd innings, the skipper led from the front with a gritty knock of 176 runs to lead his team’s charge with the bat. Though the team lost the game, a series result of 2-1 in England’s favour, suggested that their batsmen stepped up to the occasion. It was a major upset given India’s invincible run at home in the recent past. It was also a career-defining series for Alastair Cook, both as a skipper and as a batsman.